Pastoral Letter from Alamance Church,
To the Members of the Congregation Now in the Army of the Confederate
States of America:
Electronic Edition.Calvin Henderson Wiley, 1819-1887 Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services supported the electronic publication of this title.Text scanned (OCR) byElizabeth WrightText encoded by Joshua McKim and Natalia SmithFirst edition, 1999ca. 30KAcademic Affairs Library, UNC-CHUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1999.

Call number VCP970.79 W67P (North Carolina Collection, UNC-CH)Pastoral Letter from Alamance Church, To the Members of the
Congregation Now in the Army of the Confederate States of America.Wiley, Calvin Henderson, 1819-1887 Greensboro, N. C.Ingold &
Clendenin, Printers, [1863?]

The electronic edition is a part of the UNC-CH
digitization project, Documenting the American South.

Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been
removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to
the preceding line.

All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as
entity references.

All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ” and “
respectively.

All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as ’ and ‘
respectively.

All em dashes are encoded as —

Indentation in lines has not been preserved.

Spell-check and verification made against printed text using Author/Editor
(SoftQuad) and Microsoft Word spell check programs.

Library of Congress Subject Headings, 21st
edition, 1998Soldiers -- Religious life -- Confederate States of
America.Christian life.Confederate States of America -- Religion.North Carolina -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Religious
aspects.United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Religious
aspects.Alamance Church (Guilford County, N.C.)1999-09-14, Celine Noel and Wanda Gunther revised TEIHeader and created catalog
record for the electronic edition.1999-06-15, Natalia Smith, project
manager, finished TEI-conformant encoding and final proofing.1999-06-11, Joshua McKim finished TEI/SGML encoding1999-06-01, Elizabeth Wright finished scanning (OCR) and proofing.
PASTORAL LETTER
FROM
ALAMANCE CHURCH,
To the Members of the Congregation,
now in the Army of the Confederate
States of America.
DEAR FRIENDS:

It is our duty and our privilege to remember you
continually in our prayers.

The Church of God is a Missionary Society, commanded by
its Divine Head to preach the gospel to every creature,
“beginning at Jerusalem,” or with its neighbors and kindred
according to the flesh; and if you were not bound to us by the
dearest ties of nature we would still be under the strongest
obligations to exert ourselves for your spiritual welfare.

The fact that you were raised up in our midst invests us
with a responsibility for you at the Bar of Heaven; and to
these considerations is to be added the important one that
you are our kindred, bearing our names, and inseparably
connected with all our earthly hopes and fears.

We, therefore, address you with the freedom of the most
intimate and sacred friendship and with the earnestness and
affection of christian love; and we feel sure that the object and
source of this Letter will commend its contents to your most
careful consideration.

You have left the comforts of home and are hazarding your
lives for one of the most noble of worldly causes; and while
this endears your memory to all the true friends of our country,
it greatly enhances the interest and the anxiety of the
christian in your behalf

While you are exposing yourselves for our common rights
and interests, your countrymen at home are laboring for the
subsistence and comfort of those in the tented field; and they
are at the same time mindful of the manifold dangers which
beset the soul as well as the body of the soldier.

The very importance and urgency of the cause in which you
are enlisted increase the difficulties of your spiritual condition;
and without farther introduction we will suggest at once, and
as briefly as possible, some considerations which we pray,
that God would impress on your most serious attention.

We address ourselves first to all, to the members of the
Church; and to those who have never made a profession of
faith in Christ; and with a profound sense of our obligations
to our Common Lord, we solemnly remind you that nothing
will avail us in the eye of Heaven but repentance towards God
and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

No species or amount of good works on our part will
constitute a ransom for our souls; nothing but an interest in the
atoning blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, will entitle us
to a pardon for our sins, and only the favor of the Holy Spirit
can wash out the stains of guilt, and fit us for the Society of
holy beings.

We are born in a state of depravity, and prone to actual sin;
and we have the express authority of God for saying that
unless we are born again, entirely, radically changed in our
spiritual nature, we can never enter the kingdom of Heaven.

We may spend our time in devotion to the interests of our
fellows, and offer our possessions and our lives a sacrifice for
the public welfare—but while such a cause should win the
gratitude of those concerned, it will not and cannot reconcile
us to God, nor fit us for the enjoyment of Heaven.

We may do all this, and still be hostile in our hearts to our
Maker; and we are opposed to Him, whatever we do or say,
as long as we trust to any other means of salvation than that of
His own appointment.

He has told us that Christ is the way the truth and the life,
and that no man can come to the Father but by Him: that all
who repent and believe on Him shall be saved, and that all
who do not shall be damned.

He that hath Christ, hath God: He who denies the necessity
of Christ's atonement opposes himself to the Almighty.

To believe in Christ is to have no faith in ourselves or in any
of our own works—to know and feel that we are, in ourselves,
sinful and helpless, to be broken and contrite in spirit, and to
accept of life as the free and undeserved gift of God for
Christ's sake alone.

These are simple but great Truths; and we state them now
with the more earnestness from a knowledge of the proneness
of our fallen nature to seize upon any pretext rather than
seek for salvation in that way which lies through the crucifixion
of our self-esteem, and of our innate passions.

To follow Christ is to turn from men, and from all creature
aid; to be in Him is to cast away all our own righteousness
as filthy rags and to humbly receive of Him, and as His
unbought and unmerited gift, all that can make us good or worthy
in His sight. Let us then most kindly but solemnly entreat
you to remember this; and never for one instant to harbor a
hope of salvation from the character of the cause in which you
may offer up your lives.

It is, in one sense, easier, far easier to enter the kingdom of
Heaven, through the way of God's appointment, than by any
other means; for we have not to travel to find the Saviour, we
are required to bring no price of His favor in our hands, and
called on to do nothing that is laborious or really afflictive to
our bodies. It is, therefore, not a hardship if we give ourselves
to lives of toil and privation for our Country, and dying in its
defence, are lost forever; for God has fixed a way of escape
from His wrath, always open to us, and if we choose to rely
on another it will not alter the course of His immutable Justice.

This High-way of life is accessible to every class: it is so
plain that none can miss it, and it runs by the mansions of the
rich and the cottages of the poor, by the laborer in the field
and by the soldier's tent.

And this brings us to a few suggestions which we would
affectionately make to those whose names are recorded with ours
on the books at Alamance as followers of a crucified Saviour.

We know, dear brethren, that you are now placed in the
midst of great and severe temptations—but it is by the trial
of your faith that its character is proved.

God will safely keep that which we have committed to His
care; and He will, with every trial, furnish to all His true
children a way of escape.

Fire consumes only the dross that may be mixed with pure
gold—and trials will but test the Divine origin of our faith.

God does not permit us to lay aside His service in any place;
and though we cannot in some situations devote ourselves to
Him with the same time and means that we can in others, we
can still, in all places, bear effectual testimony for His truth.

The real christian, in any part of the world, is a stranger
and exile: he is always, while here, in the midst of the enemies
of His Master, exposed to persecutions for His sake, and
assailed by temptations. This world is essentially opposed to
him, and to his christian sympathies and affections; but he is
kept here simply and solely to preach to his fellows, and to be
a co-worker with God in the extension of the Redeemer's
kingdom on earth. The christian element of society is its salt that
preserves it from corruption; and this salt of the earth is
scattered through it for beneficent purposes.

Wherever there is most moral corruption there is most
need of this purifying element; and the christian, while kept
in this world, serves the cause of Christ, if he only preserves
the savor of his religion. He is, therefore, properly termed a
witness for Christ; for while on earth he is always among the
enemies of God, and if he merely lives up to his faith he
convicts the world of lying in wickedness.

You need not deliver sermons or discourses in order
to serve God where you are—nor is it necessary to call
assemblies for devotional exercises, nor to dedicate whole
days to this purpose. You may have no opportunities for public
expositions of the truths of scripture, or no gift for leading in
public exercises; but one thing you can do, and this will be an
eloquent and effective sermon.

You can display the holy and saving character of your faith
in your daily walk and conversation: you can, by the whole
tenor of your lives admonish the world, convince the gainsayers,
and win souls to Christ.

Suppose that a Confederate soldier should be taken prisoner,
and carried to the country of our enemies and there detained:
what would you think of his loyalty or patriotism if he
should join in the popular denunciations of his own country
and his own cause merely because such things were common?

In what estimation would you hold his moral courage and
his fidelity if he should become ashamed of the very name of
Confederate because it might be odious to the enemies of his
cause among whom he was living, should lay aside his uniform,
and wear that of the Federal army, and should join in rude
jests at the expense of his country and people, and countenance
if not take part in slanderous reports in regard to them?

Would you permit such a person to return to your ranks
again? would you not disown him as a coward unworthy of
our cause, as an enemy not to be trusted in our service?

And so, dear brethren, the fact that there is little religion
among those with whom our lot is cast, renders it the more
important for us to be jealous for that Great and Divine
Cause to which we owe our highest allegiance.

We are soldiers of Jesus Christ, solemnly dedicated to His
service; and if we be true and brave and loyal, the numbers
and boldness of His enemies will only stir our spirits to more
courageous and fervent strivings for the honor and interests of
our glorious Kingdom.

We cannot be released, under any circumstances whatever,
from our obligations to make the name of christian respected
wherever we are—or at least to cause it to be identified with
all that is pure, and honest and truthful.

If we live according to the precepts our Divine religion, we
will do much for Christ; and the darker the region in which
we are placed, the more important will be the light of our
example. Christians are required to shine as lights in a wicked
world; and in no place on earth can a follower of Christ effect
more by his mere example than among those who are exposed
to the temptations of a life in camp.

Such living illustrations of the power of godliness are the
most convincing appeals to the conscience and judgment of
your associates; and you thus have it in your power to serve
your God and your country to more advantage than those who
are less exposed to trials.

You may be the means of delivering your homes from the
oppressions of a ruthless invader; and you may also, be
instruments in the hands of God of rescuing the immortal souls
of your brave companions in arms from eternal burnings.

Your position is one of severe hardships, but of corresponding
privileges; and while you can make your names illustrious
as the defenders of your country, you may, for turning
many to righteousness, shine as the stars for ever and ever.

Behold the spiritual destitutions of many of the brave and
generous men about you; and think of the immense importance
to them of the line of conduct you pursue in your most
responsible position as representatives of Christ on earth!

The idleness, cowardice or treachery of an army might
cause the destruction of those inestimable rights for which you
are contending; and the failure of one man, in an important
post, might jeoperdize your lives and our liberties. Infinitely
worse consequences may flow from the example of professing
christians in the camp; and each person, so situated, is
occupying one of the most dangerous but honorable and responsible
places in the service of God. Let us then entreat you to
walk worthy of your high vocation; to remember with
reverence the great and holy name by which you are called, and
to maintain by your conversation and example the interests
and honor of that Heavenly Kingdom in which your
inheritance lies.

It should be ever borne in mind that the popularity of any
vice does not render it the less sinful and pernicious; and the
fact that an evil habit is generally tolerated by our acquaintances
and fellows will not make it the less odious in the eyes
of a Holy God.

The desertion of our cause by your comrades in arms will
not shake the loyalty or lessen the ardor of any true patriot;
and when professed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ fall
away to the great Enemy, it only renders it the more
important that his real servants be vigilant, sober and steadfast.

Permit us affectionately to admonish you to be careful how
you yield to the insidious influence of general custom—to avoid
indulgence in any species of oaths, and in habits of jesting in
regard to sacred things, and to manifest on all occasions a
becoming respect for every thing connected with religious
matters.

Lose no opportunity of reading the Scriptures, converse freely
with your fellow christians about the affairs of your souls
and when it is possible, have meetings for prayer and the
interchange of views on religious subjects; and never permit a day
to pass without serious self-examination and private or secret
devotions. Prayer is the christian's vital breath—and you can
pray when on the march, when engaged on picket or sentinel
duty, and in the very fiercest shock of battle.

Be examples of patient endurance in the discharge of duty,
and of cheerful obedience to the commands of superiors and
let your conversation and manners be such as become the
servants of Jesus Christ, and your daily walk be a living
illustration of the power of godliness

And what shall we say to you, dear friends, who have never
yet professed a saving faith in Christ ?

Need we to remind you of the danger of your situation?—
Life is always uncertain—but oh! in how many ways may
the brave soldier be speedily sent to the awful realities of eternity!

As your kindred and friends we grieve for the hardships of
your position, and we listen with trembling interest for tidings
of your condition.

It is painful to us to be separated from you even for a season,
and we contemplate with constant anxiety the possibility of
seeing you alive no more on earth: this is in itself a sufficient
source of sad and tender interest to relations and neighbors,
but with what keen agonies will their hearts be pierced if they
hear of your fall without any well-grounded hope of meeting
you in a better world?

We give you freely to our country's cause: we are ready to
submit to separations in all time from the dear objects of our
heart's affections, but oh! how can we bear the idea of parting
with you forever?

We know that in peace or war we must all meet with trials,
and that sooner or later each of us will pass from this scene of
action; these certain afflictions we are prepared to meet, but
we can never be ready to hear of your everlasting ruin!

Dear Friends, we may see your faces no more on earth—or
if we do, it may be when you are to be laid in the old
grave yard at Alamance. This may be our last communication
to some of you in time; and with a full and solemn sense
of the awful realities of your situation and of ours, we beseech
you, in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God! Do not delay
a moment: hasten, oh, hasten to secure an interest in that
Atonement which God has made for the sins of all who come
to Him through Christ. The interests of one soul are infinitely
more important than the temperal affairs of all the nations
on earth; and how sad it is to think that you will do and endure
so much for to secure rights that are to last but for a season,
and yet neglect your own eternal welfare!

In the name of your own best interests—in the name of
that blessed Saviour whose sufferings for sin were infinitely
greater than all the afflictions of all men, in every age, in the
name of that Almighty and Righteous Judge who has
commissioned His Church to proclaim that He has no pleasure in
the death of him that dieth, we entreat you to fly at once for
refuge to the hope set forth in the gospel. God is ready to
hear your prayers at any place, and under any circumstances:
you can send up your hearts in earnest supplications whatever
may be your position and engagements, and Christ is as able
and ready and willing to save you in the army as in the house
dedicated to His service.

There is no formal method of prayer or worship prescribed,
no difficult ceremonial rite by which you are to seek deliverance
from the wrath to come: behold in Christ the open door
to the kingdom of peace and righteousness.

You are now in the midst of war's rude alarms: but in the
name of God we offer you peace, peace more full, satisfying
and enduring than mere deliverance from the warfare of
nations.

Christ has come and preached peace to all that are far off
and to all that are near: peace of conscience, peace with God,
peace of which men and devils cannot rob you, peace in time
and peace in eternity.

Accept this free salvation and nothing can harm you: seek
an interest in Christ, and wherever or however you fall, and
wherever your mortal bodies repose, we can all be assured of
a joyful meeting again at the ressurrection of the just!

If these are to be our last words to you in time, let us
affectionately entreat you to prepare to meet God in peace: let this
sentence continually sound in your ears and linger in your
hearts, “behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of
the world!”

Assuring you all of our abiding interest in your
welfare in time and eternity, we subscribe ourselves your friends
and kinsmen. Signed, for the Church by